Automatic railway-switch



2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

J. H. MODONOUGH 85 R. S. WILLI AMS.

AUTOMATIC RAILWAY SWITCH. No. 513,716.-

Patented Jan. 30 1894.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH H. MODONOUGI-I AND ROBERT S. \VILLIAMS, OF IRONDALE, ALABAMA.

AUTOMATIC RAI LWAY-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 513,716, dated January 30, 1894..

Application filed April 14, 1893. Serial No. 470,354- (No model.)

To 00 whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JOSEPH HARRIS Mo- DONOUGH and ROBERT S. WILLIAMS, citizens of the United States, residing at Irondale, in the county of Jefferson and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Train-Operated Railway- Switches; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. Our invention relates to railway switches, and has for its object the providing of a safe and reliable switch, which may be operated either from a fixed station, or from a moving train.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawings, wherein the same parts are indicated by the same letters throughout the several views.

Figure 1 represents a plan view of a portion of a railroad track provided with the switch, parts being broken away. Fig. 1 represents a plan view of another portion of the track shown in Fig. 1, parts being broken away. A part of Fig. 1 from the left of the sheet to the line 2 z, is duplicated in Fig. 1, in order that the manner of operating the switch bya train coming from either direction may be illustrated in the drawings. Fig. 2 represents the front of a box car fitted with the improved tripping device for operating the switch. Fig. 3 represents a section along the line was of Fig. 2, and looking to the left. Fig. 4: represents an inverted plan view of one end of, the car shown in Figs. 2 and 3. In Figs. 2, 3, and 4, many of the fittings not essential to the operation of the device, are omitted, for the sake of clearness in the drawings. Fig. 5 represents a section of Fig. 1 along the line y y of the said figure.

A, A, A A and A represent the fixed rails at ornear the siding. Y

B represents the switch composed of the switch rails B and B secured togetherin the usual way.

0 represents a lever pivoted at c, and having a plurality of arms c',c c 0 and 0 The arms 0 and c are connected by the rods 0 and c to the switch rails B and B respectively, while the arm 0 is connected by the rod 0 to the switch stand F which is constructed in the usual way. The arms 0 and c are connected by the rods h and-h to the double levers E and E, pivoted at 6. These lovers are connected by straps d to one of the double wedge-shaped levers D or D which compose the track part of the tripping device for moving the switch. Three of these tripping devices, D, D and D are shown, as will hereinafter be described. These wedge- -shaped levers have sloping sides 61 and d,

and are pivoted at 01 close down to the cross ties.

K and K are two sloping pieces of wood or metal placed parallel to the rails and in the form of a double inclined plane on either side of where the switch-rail crosses the track, as shown in Fig. 5.

M and M represent trippingbars attached to the train. These tripping bars may be provided on the locomotive or cab, or on any or all cars of the train. In Figs. 2 and 3 they are shown as attached by plates N and N to the cross timbers N and N the lower one of which is connected to the upper series by the spring N Each of the tripping bars is provided with an upwardly-extending reduced portion n, passingthrough the plate N. The spring 0 normally holds the head M clear of the track devices, but the said head may be pushed down into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig.3, as will hereinafter be de scribed. 85.

Q represents an arm projecting from the rock shaft P, the said arm being provided with a forked portion q slotted at q and engaging the pins m' set transversely across the bar m.

R represents a second arm attached to the rock shaft P, which is joined by the connecting rod S to the lever T pivoted at t, and having handles t, as shown in Fig. 2.

The distance between the track-tripping 5 device, D or D, or D should be sufficiently great to allow the parts ample time to operate before the train reaches the switch.

The track-tripping device D is joined to the track-tripping device D by a stout rod [00 D and thus it becomes unnecessary to use more than one set of rods, h and h at either side of the switch. Moreover, by this arrangement the necessity for running rods along the curved portion of the track is obviated.

The rod D is sufficiently stifi to stand either a pulling or a pushing strain. The operation of the device is as follows:- Suppose a car fitted with the improved tripping device to be coming in the direction of the arrow 1 of Fig. 1, and that it be desired to run 0E on the siding, the switch being either in the position shown, when the main track is continuous, or being adjusted for the siding. If the switch be closed as shown, and the tripping bar M be thrown down just before the car reaches the pair of levers D, the said bar will strike on the sloping face (1 of the lever D, throwing it to theleft, and by means of the rods (1 lever E, rods h, lever C, and. rods 0", the switch will be thrown to the left, and will direct the car onto the siding. If the pairs of levers D remain in this position after being thrown to the left, and another car desires to go on the siding, as it comes along in the direction of the arrow 1, throwing the right hand tripping bar M down, will not produce any effect; while if the tripping bar M be thrown down, the lever D will be thrown over in the opposite direction causing the switch to be set for the main line. In a similar way the switch may be set for the main line or the siding by a car coming in the direction of the arrow 2 shown in Fig. 1. Should a car be coming in the direction of the arrow 3 in Fig. 1- along the siding, and it be desired to set the switch for the main line, which is represented as open in the said figure, if the tripping bar M be thrown down before reaching the pair of levers D, the said bar will strike the sloping face (1, wedging it to the left, and pulling over the bar D and the pair of levers D", which pull on the rods h and cause the lever 0 and rods 0 to move the switch as desired. The switch may also be adjusted by hand from the switch stand f by means of the rod 0 connected to the lever O, the hand switch-lever and other attachments to the switch-stand F being well known in the art, and are not shown in the drawings. The double wedge-shaped levers D, D, and D are made in two symmetrical parts D and D so that they may be operated with equal facility by a train moving in either direction. Thus, if after a train has passed the switch and entered the siding, it be desired to set the switch for the main line for the next train this may be readily done by throwing the tripping bar M down, which will strike the sloping face at of the part D of the pair of levers D and will set the switch as hereinbefore described. By having double sets of rods d and h and h, and double levers E and E, the device is always adapted to exert a pulling strain, on the switch bar and various connections, and thus the various rods may be flexible, and of light material. The rods 0 and D should be of suificient rigidity, however, for use either in pushing or in pulling.

In order to prevent the tripping bars M and M from being carried away should they be carelessly held down too long, by the train hand at the lever T, or should they stick when down from any cause, the inclined planes K and K are placed in their path as they would cross the switch. By means of these double inclines, the tripping bars when down are wedged up by these double inclines before they strike the switch rail B.

The spring N 4 is placed between the parts N and N supporting the plates N and N in order to give the yielding connection required.

The pairs of levers D, D and D would ordinarily be placed at such a distance from the switch that the train might be stopped before reaching the switch should the parts fail to operate from any cause.

It will be obvious that many modifications might be made which could be used without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In a device of the character described, the combination with the main and siding rails and the pivoted switch rails, of the lever C pivoted at o, rods connecting said lever to the switch rails, wedge-shaped levers pivoted between the rails at the requisite distance from the switch, double levers E and E at either side of said wedge-shaped levers, rods connecting said levers E and E and said wedge-shaped levers, rods running along the track connecting said levers E and E with said lever C, and a device carried by the train for striking said wedge-shaped levers and pressing them to one side, substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with the main and siding rails and the pivoted switch rails, of the lever C pivoted at c, a switch stand, and a rod connecting said lever with said switch stand, rods connecting said lever to, the switch rails, wedge-shaped levers pivoted between the rails at the requisite distance from the switch, double levers E and E at either side of said wedge-shaped levers, rods connecting said levers E and E and said wedge-shaped levers, rods running along the track connecting said levers E and E with said lever O, and a device carried by the train for striking said wedge-shaped levers and pressing them to one side, substantially as and for the purposes de scribed.

33. In a device of the character described, the combination with the main and siding rails and the pivoted switch rails, of the lever C pivoted at c and provided with arms 0, c c and 0 rods 0 and 0' connecting two of said arms to the switch rails; levers D and D pro vided with sloping faces d and d pivoted between the rails at the requisite distance from the switch; double levers E and E at either side of said levers D, and D and connected thereto; rods h and h connecting said levers E and E with said lever G; and adevice carried by the train for striking one of the faces (1 or d of the levers D or D substantially as and for the purposes described.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination with the main and siding rails and the pivoted switch rails, of the lever O pivoted at c, and provided with arms c 0 c and c rods 0 and 0 connecting two of said arms to the switch rails; a switch stand F and a stiff rod 0 connecting said arms 0 to said switchstand; levers D and D provided with sloping faces (1 and cl pivoted between the rails at the requisite distance from the switch; double levers E and E at either side of said levers D and D and connected thereto; rods h and h connecting said levers E and E with said lever C; and a device carried by the train for striking one of the faces d or cl of the levers D or D substantially as and for the purposes described. I

5. An apparatus of the character described, comprising a tripping device actuated from the moving train, the main rails A and A I the siding rails A and A the pivoted switch rails B and E the wedge-shaped levers D pivoted between the said main rails; the wedgeshaped levers D pivoted between, the siding rails; the bar D connecting said levers; and a system'of rods and levers connecting said wedge-shaped levers D with the switch, whereby the switch may be operated from either the levers D or the levers D substantially as and for the purposes described.

6. An apparatus of the character described comprising a tripping device actuated from a moving train; the main railsA and A the siding rails A and A the pivoted switch rails B and B the pair of levers D pivoted between the main rails, and the pair of levers D pivoted between the siding rails, each lever of the said pairs of lovers D and D being provided with sloping faces cland d; the bar D connecting said pairs of levers D and D the double levers E and E at either side of said pair of levers D and connected thereto the lever O pivoted between the switch rails, and adapted to move the switch; and rods h and h connecting said levers E and E and said lever O, substantially as and for the purposes described.

7. An apparatus of the character described, comprising a tripping device actuated from a moving train; the main railsA and A the siding rails A and A the pivoted switch rails B and B the pair of levers D pivoted between the main rails, and the'pair of levers D pivoted between the siding rails, each lever of the said pairs of levers D and D being provided with sloping faces dand d; the barD connecting said pairs of levers D and D the double levers E and E at either side of said pair of levers D and connected thereto; the lever O pivoted between the switch rails and adapted to move the switch; the rods h and h connecting said levers E and E and said 1ever 0, a switch stand F, and a rod connecting said lever O to said switch stand F, substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH H. MCDONOUGH. ROBERT S. WILLIAMS.

Witnesses:

D. R. W. MoIvER, A. LATADY. 

